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But, but, but - you've marked the route on the map as being from Murchison to Motueka... You're confusing me.

Originally Posted by LBD

Oh what a delima, which favorite? has to be Te Anau to Homer Tunnel, autum away from the tourist season, late in the afternoon on a warm day, Autum colors, magic light, and all sorts of roads, straight, tight, sweeping....

Beautiful area, I have still to take a bike down that way - been through 3 or 4 times in a car. Seeing how fast you can go coming back through the tunnel is a hoot as well

It is preferential to refrain from the utilisation of grandiose verbiage in the circumstance that your intellectualisation can be expressed using comparatively simplistic lexicological entities. (...such as the word fuck.)

Haast Pass- Makarora to Hawea

Another part of the Haast pass, not yet mentioned, is the beautiful lakeside run from Makarora to Lake Hawea township..one very fast stretch of sweepers with stunning views of first Lake Wanaka then it's switches to Lake Hawea. After the tiring tight alpine sections from Fox-Haast to Makarora, the open sweepers along the lake edges are a pleasant change in riding style.

I've ridden around the SI so many times, but each trip as you come across a favourite stretch of road, never ceases to fill you with awe! Like it's the first time all over again.

I've ridden most of the best roads, and this has to be it. Very little tourist traffic even (even on a South Island scale) simply because its a dead end. Endless winding road, climbing several mountains, and several viewpoints looking across the mountains.

Starting Point: Nikau, West Coast
Finshing Point: Karamea, West Coast
Distance: 55km
Type of road: Sealed, All types of corners, some bits are quite uneven, resulting in healthy air time
Hazards: Probably moss in the shady areas
Time of year to avoid this road: Who knows, I've only ridden it once!
Points of Interest: Its a dead end, you have to go back through

Fairlie to Mt Cook in the warmer months (although just Fairlie to Tekapo or Fairlie to the Mt Cook turnoff at Lake Pukaki are great in themselves)
Tight bits, long straights, fast sweepers, good roads, stunning views ... it's all there.

Motueka to Golden Bay~ Takaka Hill! Tree roots in the road are the main hazards and in winter time it snows/ice's up

Wondered how long before someone posted Takaka hill.......
~Carry on from Takaka bypass Collingwood, take a right, over the river and carry on past Pakawau and on to Puponga. Have a coffee/beer at the paddle crab cafe, enjoy the view,then retrace journey

Wondered how long before someone posted Takaka hill.......
~Carry on from Takaka bypass Collingwood, take a right, over the river and carry on past Pakawau and on to Puponga. Have a coffee/beer at the paddle crab cafe, enjoy the view,then retrace journey

yeah or take a left and head out to the lighthouse out the coast for a night
tis a good ride if like mountain high sand dunes and the great outdoors